Messages - Alyosha

Here are some cast figures I just finished up. Will add painted pics as I get them done back here to this thread.

Original design was done last year for the GIJCC Custom Contest (3rd place yeah!) at JoeCon by NotPicard. Added the flaming cyborg arm because, well...it just seemed right. Excellent work all around!

Custom made from an incomplete original design by my good buddy Tom-1! THIS is what happens when you show me pics of a kick-ass custom, and then don't finish it. I steal the idea and claim it as my own. You earned this Tom-1.

The new bag features six newly sculpted holes in the top for lines for the guide ring, removal of the old handle and addition of the ammo pouch in it's place (rotates), added the hook on the line for the belt carabiner to allow him to slide up and down, along with a second ammo pouch with zip ties, removed and filled the old knife holder, and a buckle for the working shoulder strap. Oh, and about 4 feet of line...for rappelling fun.

Also, shortened the straps on the chest rig before casting to fit this torso, added two more carabiners to the side of the rappelling harness, and sculpted the pushed up sleeves and ribbed cuffs on the forearms.

Finally, added a working pistol holster to the back of the chest harness in a side draw rig, and cast the head that the helmet came from and them dremeled it out to fit the head I use on all my HnR customs.

First WIP pics of a new Female COBRA Soldier. Saw this at HISSTank, but don't remember the OP. If anyone does, feel free to chime in with the credit!

Here is the business suit I just finished. Figures that Hasbro will be releasing it finally in the Marvel Universe line. I'll still make a set in Navy for my Crimson Twins and a few other things. This one features the first mock up of my Gyre-Viper head. More detail to come as it's finished.

Cast custom sent in by BrokenArrowToys.com contributor IWBeta/Bad Sociologist. Changed out the thighs and hands, otherwise it's all his design. Look for a variant that makes the Heli-Viper soon.

Torso courtesy of Slayer Design Studio. Added sculpted detail to the upper arms, outside thighs, and knees to match the movie design. Original sculpt by their guy Ben.

Once again, here is a reminder about the Great Texas GI Joe Show this coming weekend 26th and 27th. I'll be set up there with my buddy the Toymenator and will have my store inventory available. Come on out and take a look!

The twist on this contest is that you submit a character name, and then these are randomly assigned to each participant to create. Sounds like fun, and there are some prizes being handed out by BAT and Marauder John. Take a look, and see if something strikes your muse!

Evidently the club figures are now shipping, as mine arrived today. For a "freebie" it's a pretty good looking figure, but I would've like to have seen a new headsculpt rather than the re-used re-tooled version of Mercer from the '06 Con.

The color palette is well chosen and fit's the character as well as the weapons choices. The paint details are crisp and very much a hallmark of the club offerings (other than the occasionally wonky eye). The new filecard in lieu of a membership card is also a nice addition.

Overall, a very good looking and long overdue addition to the RAH vintage line. I hope to see more intersting stuff like this from the club in the future.

Here is something I'm working on for Gyre's (HISSTank) current contest. I still need to paint it, but given the longer time frame, I don't anticipate any issues. I did try to match the very peachy colored skin tone that the club uses on their figures. I was pretty okay with the club's original RRP offering back at the '07 Con, but as time goes on his deficiencies grow more glaring, so here you go.

As a side note, I am also experimenting with automotive touch up paint for covering larger single colored areas (in this case the boots) on these cast figures. If it works out, I'll be sure to post final result once they are cured. Also working on waterslide decals for the logo on the chest. Enjoy!

Some of you may have already seen this, but hey, now you've gotta look again! As I stated before, there are 8 figures I'm working on from the 80's COPS designs that I really liked and I'll be translating those to 1/18th scale. The first one is shown here:

I'm tired of seeing everyone have fun with my custom parts, not never getting the time to do something of my own, so here's a little something I've been waiting a while to do.

Ever since it was first shown, I'd decided that the blue Firefly from the Greenshirt 5 pack was going to be Shockblast/wave until Hasbro finally makes one. The figure is the above mentioned, with a cast BH head, my sculpted hat, and belt/vest/MP5 from the dark grey FF. A couple of little touches of paint, and VOILA! Fully playable Shockblast/wave. Enjoy!

While generally I'm not a slave to the RAH designs, occasionally there is something so right, that to deviate from the look borders on sacrelige. While the factory offering was okay given what it was, I just couldn't stand it, and decied for a total rework using only the webgear and lower legs/boots from the orignal.

I have shown pics of two of these before (Night Force, and one that went to my business partner), but this one is mine and I felt like showing off. Enjoy!

Here are the final painted pics for the Night Force version of the Green Beret and Jin Saotome's custom contest winning Bloody Baron. Both are cast in high density urethanes as usual, and painted with a combination of Testors Model Masters and Tamiya paints. Enjoy!

Since this one is going in my personal stuff, I retooled the chin a bit so it would have the Kirk Douglas style cleft shown in the new cardart. The colors and palette are straight samples from the vintage figure, with the only exception being the slightly lighter pants and the junlge boots instead of straight black. Also, I know some of you will say that he needs his specific backpack, but I really didn't feel like painting up the only extra I had for this custom.

Sometimes, it goes too long without being able to do a custom just for the fun. I decided it had been long enough, dug out my box of cast heads (and cast some parts from molds for other custom figures), and grabbed this great one from www.trigatecreations.com and went to town. Think of it as Santa, all geared (by www.marauderinc.com for the weapons/grenades) up to put down the "Great Elf-Ninja Uprising" of Christmas '08. Because all elfs are Ninjas. They really are. And don't make them mad. Because they're ninjas.